Myanmar is in an important phase of its democratic transition as it tackles the form of federalism most suited to its conditions and aspirations. As one input into this process, the presenters organised four deliberative polling events on federalism in August 2018, to demonstrate the value and viability of a deliberative approach to democratic and federal reform, and to discern a more genuine representation of public opinion. This presentation discusses some of the key findings, and challenges arising from those deliberative events, how they were different, and how they can contribute to federal constitution-making in Myanmar.

Prof Baogang Heis Alfred Deakin Professor and Chair in International Relations since 2005, at Deakin University, Australia. Graduated with a PhD in Political Science from Australian National University in 1994, Professor He has become widely known for his work in Chinese democratisation and politics, in particular the deliberative politics in China. Professor He has also held several honorary appointments and research fellowships at renowned universities including Stanford University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Leiden and Sussex University.

Dr Michael Breen is a McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Michael completed his PhD at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Michael’s research focuses on federalism in Asia, and the management of ethnic diversity. He is the author of ‘The Road to Federalism in Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka: Finding the Middle Ground’ (2018, Routledge) and has participated in Nepal’s constitution-making process that established it as a federal democratic republic.